Step 1: Read the Book

I've been convinced for some time now that most of our human ailments these days are tied to our diets. I'm not just talking the obvious - heart disease, cancer, etc. But also things like joint pain, asthma, loss of vision, you name it. I've heard a great deal of anecdotal evidence, but now I'm on a journey to collect the facts - scientific, empirical evidence. The folks who wrote "The Paleo Diet" have spent an awful lot of time conducting their own trials and documenting the work of others around the world. The book doesn't go into enough detail for my taste on how these experiments were conducted, what the variables were, how big the testing pool was ... but they do scratch the surface enough to keep me believing that finding our optimal diet really is the cure for what ails ya (whatever that "optimal diet" may be).

Here's how Paleo goes:
(1) All the lean meats, fish and seafood you can eat.
(2) All the fresh fruits and (nonstarchy) vegetables you can eat.
(3) No grains (bread, rice, pasta, oatmeal, cereal, etc.)
(4) No legumes (green beans, kidney beans, black beans, peanuts, peanut butter, soy)
(5) No dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, ice cream)
(6) No processed food (canned soup, frozen entrees, 100-calorie packs of crackers/cookies)

I've always had a pretty clean diet. I don't like hamburgers, hot dogs or chicken wings. I am drawn to "pretty" food - like sushi rolls, salad or stir-fry with all different-color veggies, or a big fruit salad. But don't get me wrong - I also love Five Guys french fries, Birthday Cake ice cream at Cold Stone and buffalo chicken sandwiches at Hooter's (to name a few). I am human, after all!

But those are indulgences I consider "cheat meals." The trick has been refining my perspective on what is healthy. Maybe using cooking spray instead of heart-healthy oils isn't the best idea. Maybe the brown rice, sweet potatoes, and whole-wheat pita, pasta and bread really aren't that good for me. Or worse - what if they're actually bad for me? Same thing with low-fat dairy. Maybe skim milk isn't the miracle beverage I once thought it was. What about my beloved "healthy" go-to's like peanut butter, green beans, and soy-based veggie burgers. If you believe the scientists who collaborated on "The Paleo Diet," it's all cancer-causing crap. Maybe it sounds a little extreme, but what if they're right?

What if the foods humans have been eating for 2.5 MILLION years are the foods -- the ONLY foods -- we were designed to eat? The Agricultural Revolution began about 10,000 years ago when the first farms and domesticated livestock were recorded in the Middle East (a drop in the bucket when you think about how long the human species has been around). And the archeological records seem to indicate that's when humanity's health problems began ... infectious diseases and childhood mortality began increasing, and overall life spans began decreasing. For the first time, humans began experiencing vitamin- and mineral-deficiency diseases like osteoporosis, rickets, scurvy, beriberi and anemia. Cereal grains had replaced much of their previously animal-dominated diets. Even more recently -- just 200 years ago -- the Industrial Revolution brought refined sugar, flours, and canned and frozen foods to our tables. In the 1950s comes the invention of trans-fatty acids, margarine, shortening, preservatives and emulsifiers, taking "processed food" to a whole new level.

Lots to talk about and debate here. I'm not even 100% sure what I believe. I certainly don't want to be one of those "everything-causes-cancer" alarmists. And I know food is intrinsically tied to our social lives these days. But I have been off dairy and grains for a while now and I feel great. I think it's worth a try taking it to the next level and cutting out legumes and all processed food as well. I want to see how easy and how affordable I can make this lifestyle so I can feel confident recommending it to the families I work with in the future. If it's not easy and not affordable, how can I expect anybody -- much less a busy mom -- to latch on?